Asylum

"You know, maybe we should call the feds. File a missing persons."

"No, we talked about this. Dad would be pissed if we put the feds on his tail."

"I don't care anymore. After all that happened back in Kansas... I mean he should've been there Dean. You said so yourself, you tried to call him and nothing."

Dean busied himself looking for his cell phone as it rang, purposely turning his back to Sam to avoid the conversation. The truth was Dean needed John to be there in Lawrence, and although he would never admit it, it hurt that John had ignored him

"I know... where the hell is my cell phone?"

"You know, he could be dead for all we know."

"Don't say that! He's not dead... he's he's..."

"He's what? He's hiding? He's busy?"

Dean had no answers to give his brother, but he smiled as he read the message on his phone.

"I don't believe it."

"What?"

"It's a text message."

Sam stared sullenly out the dark window as he processed the fact, they were heading towards the coordinates that had been sent to Dean's phone. It was typical Dean, to go off towards who knows what at the snap of John's fingers. It left Sam stewing in his own anger.

"Are we really going to do this Sammy? The whole silent treatment thing is for 12 year old girls."

Sam sighed.

"I'm not giving you the silent treatment, I'm thinking."

"As long as you aren't thinking a way out of this hunt..."

"I'm here, aren't I?"

Dean scoffed.

"Would you be if you had any other choice? You always hated hunting."

Sam turned back to the window as memories of being left alone at motels began to overtake his thoughts.

"No, I didn't. Don't talk about shit you have no idea about." Sam snapped.

It was silent in the car for a moment.

"What do you mean? When did you like hunting?"

"I didn't... not really... but..."

"But what?"

Sam shrugged.

"I hated being left alone more."

Dean frowned for a moment. Sam had rarely been left completely alone. He was usually dropped off at one of their Dad's friends. But there were a few times growing up that they had left Sam in a quiet town by himself, even when he begged to come.

When it was the two of them and their Dad went hunting, they made it work. And as worried as Dean would be until they returned to Sam, he had never really thought about how his usually independent brother felt being left alone. Dean turned into the parking lot and turned off the car.

"I uhh... I guess I thought you were fine with it. You always liked your alone time."

Sam scoffed.

"Try being nine and left to stare at four walls for a week straight not knowing if your family is coming back because they don't bother to call."

Sam exited the car with a squeak and Dean winced as the door slammed shut.

Dean thought that by leaving Sam alone they were keeping him safe.

Sam had felt abandoned.

Looking back, Dean wondered if that's what Stanford and running away as a teenager had been about. Maybe it was self-preservation. Sam ran first before he could be abandoned again.

"So what, we gotta always follow Dad's orders?"

"Of course we do."

Sam rolled his eyes and felt anger brimming to the surface again. He bit his tongue and choked it down, unable to say what he wanted to say."

"This brother you're road tripping with. How do you feel about him?"

Sam wasn't sure what made him do it, maybe it was just the idea of talking to someone else than Dean.

"I mean... he's, my brother. I'm not really sure what more there is to say."

"Well are you close?"

"That's a complicated question."

"Why?"

"Well... we spend every day together so yeah we're close, but we weren't exactly talking until a few months ago?"

"So why the reconnection now?"

"My uhhh... my girlfriend died, and Dean was there."

The doctor sat back in his chair.

"Sounds like your brother was there for you when you needed him. That must count for something."

"He was."

"So then why are you still so angry at him?"

Sam looked up.

"Who says I am angry at him?"

"Well, it's kind of my job to know these things, and its written all over your face."

"Look it's not him I am angry at, not really. It's just how he acts when my Dad-"

"When your dad what?"

Sam smirked at the doctor.

"Alright, I was honest. Tell me about the asylum."

The Winchesters entered the motel room in silence. Dean didn't even bother dropping his duffle, simply brought it with him to the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

He stripped off his shirt to look at his chest, nothing but some bruises. The words Sam had thrown at him had hurt more.

"Is that an order?"

"I'm just telling the truth for the first time."

"Pathetic."

"Good little soldier."

Dean splashed some water on his face. He couldn't hide in the bathroom forever.

As he expected Sam was sitting on the bed facing the bathroom door looking him over for any obvious wounds. Dean tried to walk past and head to his bed for some sleep, but of course his brother wasn't having any of that.

"Are you okay?" Sam whispered.

"I'm fine Sam, didn't even break the skin."

Sam nodded.

"Listen Dean-"

"Already told you I'm not in the mood, I just want to sleep."

"I know but... I'm just sorry."

Dean shrugged.

"You don't have to be sorry about how you feel."

Sam groaned.

"Thats the point. I don't feel those things about you, okay? Yes, I get angry and frustrated but I don't want you dead."

"I get it okay; I dragged you away from your perfect little life and you are pissed at me. Elicott brought it to the surface. We don't need to talk about it."

"Damn it Dean, my life wasn't perfect. You honestly think I am pissed at you about any of that?"

"Sammy... seriously enough."

"Fine... but you remember when you told me that the shifter brought every insecurity you had to the surface? Made everything seem worse than it was? It was the same thing with Elicott and anger."

Dean looked over at his brother and thought about the shifter. He understood where Sam was coming from, and honestly, he didn't want this hanging over them forever.

"Alright you big girl. I get it." Dean said with a smirk.

Sam smiled back, knowing that they were past the worse of it.

"I'm gonna get changed and get some sleep." Sam said.

"Great plan, hit the light when you are done."

Dean crawled under the covers and listened as Sam banged around in the bathroom. 10 minutes later Dean's eyes were closed, but he stayed awake.

Sam flicked off the light in the room, plunging it into slight darkness. A sliver of sunlight made its way through the curtains and over Dean's form.

"My life is always better with my brother in it." Sam whispered as he crawled into his own bed.

He missed the small smile that made its way across Dean's face.

The Winchester brothers were going to be just fine.